This invention relates to an operating lever apparatus which is used in an electric appliance to perform various operations in accordance with various electric signals produced by signal generating means, and which drives the signal generating means to produce the electric signals.
In a prior art operating lever apparatus, a force is applied directly to an operating lever along its moving direction to shift it from a first position to a second position along a base plate, where the operating lever causes signal generating means to produce an electric signal. In another prior art operating lever apparatus, an operating lever is shifted from its first position to the second position by moving a driving member in a direction to intersect the moving direction of the operating lever and the base plate, and signal generating means is driven to produce an electric signal when the operating lever is located in its second position.
In the conventional operating apparatus of such construction, it requires relatively much time for the operating lever to be shifted from its first position to the second. This means that the time required for the start of a prescribed operation of the electric apparatus is comparatively long. Such a situation may lead to a disadvantage to some electric apparatus, including, e.g., tape recorders. When recording a sound, such as a speech, by using a tape recorder provided with the prior art operating lever apparatus, if production of the sound or speech is started without notice, the opening part of the speech will fail to be recorded because it will have already been delivered before the start of recording operation. It will therefore be impossible to record the entire speech.
Moreover, in the aforesaid prior art operating apparatus, the operating lever may be depressed or the driving member may be shifted by mistake. Pocketsize tape recorders using the so-called micro cassettes, for example, are liable to fall into such an awkward situation while they are being carried in a pocket or in a bag. Such trouble will result in an unnecessary waste of battery power.